Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is designed to create safer neighborhoods through a sustained reduction in gang violence and gun crime. The program’s effectiveness is based on the cooperation and partnerships of local, state, and federal agencies engaged in a unified approach led by the U.S. Attorney (USA) in each district. The USA is responsible for establishing a collaborative PSN team of federal, state, and local law enforcement and other community members to implement gang violence and gun crime enforcement, intervention, and prevention initiatives within the district. Through the PSN team, the USA will implement the five design features of PSN – partnerships, strategic planning, training, outreach, and accountability – to address specific gun crime and gang violence, in the most violent neighborhoods.

PSN works to reduce gun crime and gang violence by employing a research-driven, intelligence-led, and strategic problem-solving approach to reducing firearm crimes and gang violence through enforcement, prosecution, deterrence, community outreach/engagement, and intervention/prevention. It will support innovative, comprehensive, data-informed approaches to reduce chronic gun crime and/or gang violence. Applicants are encouraged to work with research partners to determine the most appropriate violence reduction strategy for their jurisdiction. Objectives are:

Establish and expand evidence-based programming in PSN teams that enables them to effectively and sustainably prevent and respond to gun crime and gang violence

Establish sustainable research partnerships that are integrated into the strategic and tactical operations of PSN teams and community agencies

Foster effective and consistent collaborations within police agencies, with external agencies, and the communities in which they serve that increase public safety and minimize gun crime and gang violence

Create and maintain coordination among federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement officials, with an emphasis on prevention, tactical intelligence gathering, more vigorous and strategic prosecutions of gun crime and gang violence, and enhanced accountability

Amount: Up to 12 awards of up to $200,000-$500,000 each for a 24–month project period. Amounts will depend on categories, based on population size:

Category 1: USAO district populations of 5,000,000 or more. Awards of up to $500,000 will be made.

Category 2: USAO district populations of 2,000,000-4,999,999. Awards of up to $350,000 will be made.

Category 3: USAO district populations under 2,000,000. Awards of up to $200,000 will be made.

Category 4: Federally recognized American Indian tribes and Alaska Native tribes, and/or tribal organizations. Awards of up to $200,000 will be made.

Eligibility: PSN Task Force fiscal agents for the U.S. Attorney districts and federally recognized Indian tribal governments as determined by the Secretary of the Interior. All fiscal agents must be certified by the relevant U.S. Attorney’s Office (USAO). Eligible fiscal agents include states, units of local government, educational institutions, faith-based and other community organizations, private nonprofit organizations, and federally recognized Indian tribal governments.